(June 2008) Laotian Civil War Part of Vietnam War (also known as the Second Indochina War)Laos usa war.jpg Cuban poster: "Forgotten war" showing clash of traditional Laotian weapons with U.S. bombers Date 1953-1975 Location Kingdom of LaosResult Communist victory and the establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Belligerents Laos Kingdom of LaosUnited States United States Thailand Thailand South Vietnam Republic of Vietnam Philippines Laos Pathet Lao North Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam Soviet Union Soviet Union People's Republic of China Peoples Republic of China This article is part of the History of Laos series Viangchan1.JPG Early history of Laos Lan Xang (1353 - 1707) Dark ages of Laos (1707 - 1893)Luang Phrabang, Viang Chan, Champasak French Laos (1893 - 1953)Lao Issara (1945 - 1949)Post-Independence Laos (1954-1975) Pathet Lao North Vietnamese Invasion Laotian Civil War (1953-1975)Communist rule (1975-present)Conflict in Laos involving the Hmong (since 1975)[Edit this template Main articles: History of Laos since 1945, First Indochina War, North Vietnamese invasion of Laos, Vietnam War, and Ho Chi Minh Trail

The Laotian Civil War (1953-1975) was an internal fight between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government in which both the political rightists and leftists received heavy external support for a proxy war from the global Cold War superpowers.The Kingdom of Laos was a covert theater of battle for the other belligerents during the Vietnam War. The Franco-Lao Treaty of 1953 gave Laos full independence but the following years were marked by a rivalry between the neutralists under Prince Souvanna Phouma, the right wing under Prince Boun Oum of Champassak, and the left-wing Lao Patriotic Front under Prince Souphanouvong and future Prime Minister Kaysone Phomvihane. A number of attempts were made to establish coalition governments, and a "tri-coalition" government was finally seated in Vientiane.

The fighting in Laos involved the North Vietnamese Army, American, Thai, and South Vietnamese forces directly and through irregular proxies in a battle for control over the Laotian Panhandle. The North Vietnamese Army occupied the area for use as the Ho Chi Minh Trail supply corridor and staging area for offensives into South Vietnam. There was a second major theater of action on and near the northern Plaine des Jarres.

The North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao emerged victorious in 1975, as part of the general communist victory in Indochina that year. Click here

Last edited by TubHmoob on December 6th 2009, 2:20 pm; edited 3 times in total

Vang Pao was born on December 8, 1929, in Central Xiangkhuang Province, in the northeastern region of Laos. He began his early life as a farmer until Japanese forces invaded and occupied French Indochina in World War II. In his early teen years, Vang Pao launched his military career, joining the French Military to protect fellow Hmong during the Japanese invasion.

Military careerFor more details on covert war in Laos, see Operation Barrel Roll.

The term "Meo Maquis" was originally used by Free French and Allied intelligence officers to describe the Hmong resistance forces working against the Japanese forces occupying Indochina and China during World War II. After WWII, French GCMA authorities recruited Vang Pao as an officer during the First Indochina War to combat the Viet Minh. Although French forces lost the war, Vang remained in the army of the newly independent Kingdom of Laos. He was the only ethnic Hmong to attain the rank of General officer in the Royal Lao Army, and he was loyal to the King of Laos while remaining a champion of the Hmong people. During the 1960s and 1970s General Vang commanded the Secret Army, a highly-effective CIA-trained and supported force that fought against the Pathet Lao and People's Army of Vietnam.

By: Ashley Ritchie and Caryn Kochergen To understand the loyalty of many Hmongs to Vang Pao, you have to know about his history. Back in the 60's and 70's, the CIA trained Pao and thousands of other Laotians to fight pro-communist regimes.But after the communists seized power in '75, Pao immigrated to the U.S. With him, came many other Hmong refugees who today call him father. It's a story told many times over for the Hmong refugees at Thursday's rally. "If we would've stayed behind, we would've all got killed. We all came over because he paved the road for us. And the United States granted us political asylum here in the United States. And we're here now because of that," Ber Vang said. Vang and his family came to the U.S. from Laos in 1979; escaping the war-torn country just four years after their leader Vang Pao did the same. "Without him, I wouldn't be here. And all the other Hmong people wouldn't be here," Bao Choua said. Flash forward to June 4th, 2007. Pao and eventually ten others are arrested in California for allegedly conspiring to overthrow the Laos government.

Almost two years later, they've yet to learn their fate. "We all believe that all the accusations are false," Vang said. "The support today that everybody's here to sign letters of petition over to the attorney general and to the judge. And also pleading with him to finally out a closure to this case," Paula Vang said. On Monday, defense attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case in Sacramento after a federal judge ordered prosecutors to either provide more evidence against Pao and the others charged, or let the case go completely. Pao supporters expect a decision April 6th. "We are in America. We believe in the justice system. That's why we're all here, to show our support in working with the community," Paula Vang said. For the dozens gathered in downtown Fresno, now is the time for one last fight for the man they say did the same for them so many years ago. Since his arrest, Vang Pao was released on a $1 ½-million bond. He's been on house arrest since that time. People at Thursday's rally say they plan to take a large group of supporters up to Sacramento when the hearing takes place.